Do It Your Own Damn Self

The Masses The Masses are the largest class, making up the middle 80% between the Meek and the Elite. Most of the Masses could use some help getting by, and acquiring it would usually improve their lives considerably, but they rarely get it. For example, take a young, recent graduate who managed to put himself through school. He probably has some debt to repay and is looking to put it behind him and get on with his life. Clearing up this balance would give him the opportunity to excel and improve his fate. But where's the incentive to help him out?

A colleague of yours, someone who shares your rank, could easily be this recent graduate. Why would you help him out? How would doing so accelerate your own career? You'd probably prefer to help your boss (one of the Elite), knowing that, if he notices, you might get an extra little thank you come Christmastime. Never mind that by helping your poor colleague, your entire department might hit its sales quota, getting everyone a nice bonus. All that you are concerned with is your own well-being in the short term, and sucking up to the boss will help you in this regard.

social injustice

This view of the world's social division may not be a utopian one, but it seems to me a fairly accurate portrayal of how things are. No one said life was pretty or fair, life is... well, it just is. You give money to a homeless person knowing that that it will not materially change his life. But, if you really wanted to help society improve, wouldn't you go out of your way to help the young graduate instead? His personal need may not be as pronounced, but the ripple effect of this act would yield greater results.

Knowing that the greatest output would come from helping out one of the masses, why don't we do so more frequently? There are three reasons why:

1- What have you done for me lately? Most people feel the need to rationalize their actions in the short term. They do so by helping the Meek or the Elite, because they are rewarded with instant gratification or the anticipation of future benefits. We rarely help the Masses because there is nothing really in it for us, and this shows humanity's true colors.

2- Playing keep-up Speaking of colors, some people are green with envy. People just do not like to see others excel, because it suggests that they, by extension, are not achieving as much. Success strikes the unsuccessful once, and then their lack thereof another time.

3- Better me than him Another reason why the Masses do not like to facilitate success for each other is that there is the shared sense that the success of others will come at the expense of one's own success. In reality, this is not the case. The world is not a zero sum game! Two people who perform equally, whether in school or the workplace, will be equally rewarded. This sense of competitiveness remains, however, as so much of life involves a selection process.

If two people apply for the same job, only one will get it, even if a truly great company would hire two deserving applicants. Of course, this is rarely the case, and it is this actuality that turns us off from helping out our peers within the Masses. This is a shame because the true sign of greatness is setting up a platform where others can do more than you; that is a testament to your confidence and your own runway.